


I stay up late and talk to the moon (I can't stop telling him all about you)

by BehindTheRobinsMask



Category: Nightwing (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Does my humor actually count as humor?, First Kiss, Fluff and Crack, Jason take shots at Bruce?, M/M, New Year's Eve, how to be funny, it's more likely than you think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:33:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28450203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BehindTheRobinsMask/pseuds/BehindTheRobinsMask
Summary: “Or do you have this notion that you’d just be burdening people with your problems because god forbid Dick Grayson ask for help and do something that Batman would never! Whatever would Bruce think! You, a human being and not a cyborg/bat hybrid, affected by your emotions? Blasphemous!”“You think Bruce is a cyborg/bat hybrid?”“Is there any other logical explanation for why that man is the way he is?”
Relationships: Dick Grayson/Jason Todd
Comments: 9
Kudos: 90
Collections: Detective Holiday Exchange





	I stay up late and talk to the moon (I can't stop telling him all about you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [S_mscott](https://archiveofourown.org/users/S_mscott/gifts).



> Dear Shane, 
> 
> Initially, when I saw my assignment, I was so confused about what to write because the possibilities were endless. But in the end, I decided to go with something simple and sweet because honestly, 2020 is a mess. I hope this fic brings a smile to your face and I hope that the new year has nothing but good things in store for you. You're an amazing person and deserve the best! Happy new year!

According to Jason, there weren’t many things that Bruce really got right. Not with his rules that could never be bent for anyone or his sickeningly righteous sense of justice. But if there was one thing Bruce excelled in, it was throwing the world’s most boring party ever. Every event that ever took place in the Wayne manor was the same. Classical music. Champagne flutes. Appetizers that could never replicate Alfred’s cooking and finally, the same old rich folks of Gotham who needed to be filled in on the latest gossip lest they melt into a puddle.  
  


Jason had thought that after he cut off all ties from the family, he could finally avoid these occasions and spend his holidays in peace, but somehow, on New Year’s eve, he found himself hiding away in one of the many balconies of the manor as he waited for the clock to strike twelve. Despite all the fighting, he had been roped back in and turned into a Bat yet again. If anyone asked Jason why he didn’t try harder to stay away, he’d put the blame on Alfred and his relationship with the old man. Inside, _deep inside,_ he knew there was another reason, an emotion that kept him tethered to Gotham’s sky. Though he’d never share this secret with anyone, even those who suspected it. Somethings were better left unsaid.  
  


Now, glancing down at his champagne flute, Jason let out a sigh because he was honestly bored out of his mind. There wasn’t really anyone he could talk to at the party since for the world Jason Todd had died when he was fifteen years old. While there were other vigilantes roaming about, there weren’t many of them who would be caught dead talking to the Red Hood. And those who dared were people like Superman ready to lecture Jason about his choices as well as the importance of family. The first Robin had been special for the big blue, almost like a pseudo-son or maybe a brother of sorts. When Jason came around, he tried to replicate the same relationship but it just didn’t work out. Anyway, there was only one Super that Jason would ever depend on and that was Bizzaro. Clark Kent who?  
  


Noticing that time had begun to tick by as painfully slow as possible, Jason had swapped out his champagne flute with Tim’s while he talked about stocks and graphs (he didn’t really know what Tim did to keep the rich entertained), and escaped into the balcony. If Jason could, he avoided drinking. Not that he got drunk easily but the mood to actually drink came around rarely. Tonight definitely wasn’t the night. Especially if he was tempted to get so drunk that he wreaked havoc on this boring-ass party and forgot everything he did the next day. But since he knew Alfred would not appreciate him stripping down in the middle of the floor, he refrained. He hadn’t given up on the idea, _oh no,_ this would be his backup if the flow of time got slower than it was now.   
  


It wasn’t like there were hours before the clock struck twelve. More like minutes. But even so, they passed by so slowly, every second dragging its feet as though 2020 had something more in store for them. Which, given everything that had happened during the year, couldn’t be anything short of maybe a zombie apocalypse/alien invasion hybrid since they had really been through it all.  
  


“Nothing surprises me anymore, you shitty year,” Jason muttered to himself.  
  


“Hey, Jay! You bored as well?”  
  


Hearing that voice, Jason sighed and closed his eyes. He had spoken too soon. Feeling the cheerful aura slowly push into his own gloomy one, Jason wondered that if he pretended to not hear a thing, would his unwanted guest go away?   
  


“Pretending not to hear me?” Dick asked as he jumped down onto the balcony, startling Jason because _where the fuck had he been hiding? Dick Grayson you fucking animal._ “That’s rude, Jason. What would Alfred think?”  
  


“Hmmm. He’d probably click his tongue and stare at you with a look of absolute disappointment because you were climbing around like a monkey instead of attending the party like a human being,” Jason answered, rolling his eyes as he desperately tried to pretend that Dick’s hand around his shoulder didn’t burn. As though the heat didn’t sink through his clothes and onto his skin.  
  


Jason didn’t know why but since he was young, he always had a strange reaction to Dick Grayson, the kind that had his heart hammering in his chest and cheeks turning red as though they had been pinched too long. His palms grew sweaty and no matter how hard he tried, every word that he spoke would drip with sarcasm. Tim had called him a _tsundere_ once when he had seen Jason behave this way and while he didn’t know what that meant, he didn’t appreciate the label.   
  


“Alfred knows that I can’t be bound by society’s rules and have to live freely,” Dick said, running his fingers through his hair dramatically.   
  


Nope. Jason wasn’t sarcastic because he was a _tsundere._ He was sarcastic because Dick was a dumbass. A gorgeous dumbass with deep blue eyes, wavy locks and the kind of face that had everyone turning their heads. A dumbass with a well-built body and a confident stride that made Jason weak in the knees. That made him wonder what would happen if Dick crowded him into a corner, trapped him between his arms and kissed him until he couldn’t breathe.  
  


_No. No. No. You stop that right now, brain.  
  
_

_I would if you stopped lusting after Dick all the time._ Jason’s brain snapped.  
  


_Well, then stop making everything he does sexy._

_  
You do that! _ The brain complained. _Stop blaming me for everything!  
  
_

_Uh, no. It’s clearly your fault. You are the brain.  
  
_

_Ahem,_ The heart cleared his throat. _It is both your faults as you are both the same person.  
  
_

_Damn, no one asked you to butt in with your logic.  
  
_

“Hey! Hey! Jay! Come back to Earth!” Dick blared in Jason’s ear.   
  


“You know, Dickie, usually when someone ignores you, it means they don’t like you,” Jason pointed out as he pulled away from the older man.   
  


“That might be true buuuut, I know you like me,” Dick said with a cheeky smile as he put his hands on Jason’s shoulders.   
  


And while the words made Jason’s heart leap into his mouth, on the outside, he simply raised his brows, trying to look as unimpressed as possible.   
  


“Drunk are you?” he asked and the grin on Dick’s face got bigger.   
  


Dick laughed but there was something strange about it. Something sad. Something that made Jason want to reach out and hold him close, tell him that soon, everything would be alright. Even though the words formed in his head, he never said them, knowing that it wasn’t his place. It never was and never would be. Someone else, someone like Donna or Wally, they’d take care of Dick. All Jason had to do was push him in their direction. 

“I mean if you didn’t like me the tiniest bit, then after everything, you wouldn’t tolerate me as much as you do,” Dick said, his eyes looking up at the sky as he smiled wearily.   
  


For Jason, who was so ready to send him away, ready to put a little distance between them yet again, those words made him stop. It wasn’t the first time that he has seen Dick this way, sad and alone, as though there was no one in the world that could understand what he was going through. As though there was no one in the world who deserved to be burdened by his thoughts. For him, it was easier to suffer alone than to reach out. And wasn’t that something Jason knew all too well?  
  


“You okay there, Dickie?” Jason asked even though he had told himself he wouldn’t.   
  


“I’m fine,” Dick hummed like the good liar he was. “Just looking back on the year.”  
  


“Regretting some things?

  
“Always.”  
  


“Honestly, Richard,” Jason sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
  


Then he reached out and smacked the back of Dick’s head, startling the older man.   
  


“I cannot even begin to explain how much of a pain in the ass you are,” he continued, never giving Dick a chance to speak. “Do you really think that none of us notice when you’re sad? Or do you think that we’re just pretending to care and by lying, you’re just letting us off the hook?”  
  


“What? No--”  
  


“Or do you have this notion that you’d just be burdening people with your problems because god forbid Dick Grayson ask for help and do something that Batman would never! Whatever would Bruce think! You, a human being and not a cyborg/bat hybrid, affected by your emotions? Blasphemous!”   
  


“You think Bruce is a cyborg/bat hybrid?”   
  


“Is there any other logical explanation for why that man is the way he is?”   
  


“Childhood trauma and years of repressed emotions?”  
  


“That would make him someone worth empathizing with and I refuse. Cyborg/bat hybrid is better.”   
  


Dick stared at Jason for a second before he burst out laughing and this time, there wasn’t a hint of sadness in his voice. It was free. It was true. It was the kind of sight that Jason would give anything to see.   
  


“No one expects you to be laughing and jumping around like a fool all the time, Grayson,” Jason said. “Sometimes you can be sad. That’s okay. The way you’re here to help everyone, once in a while, you can depend on them too.”  
  


Now that Jason had all of that out of his system, it was time for him to make a quick escape. He had the last word and he wouldn’t let anyone ruin that. Well, that was the plan until Dick reached out and cupped his face, forcing them to face each other.   
  


“I wasn’t there for you when you needed me and I’m sorry about that. Jay. I always will be. But, I promise you that in the future, if you ever need anything, I’ll take care of you,” he said, with the gentlest smile on his face. 

_  
Do not blush, Jason. Don’t you dare blush.   
  
_

“Eh. I was a little shit back then and so were you. Then we grew up to be bigger shits. Nothing anyone can do about that and it’s not like my track record is any better than yours,” Jason said, pretending to take his watch.  
  


Thankfully, Dick didn’t really say anything after that and the two of them just stood in silence as everyone inside began the countdown.   
  


_“5!”  
  
_

“Shouldn’t you head inside? It would be a shame if you missed out on that New Year’s kiss,” Jason teased but for some reason, Dick just shook his head and moved in a bit closer.   
  


Strange.   
  


“ _4!_ ”  
  


“Aww, don’t be like that, Dickie. I’m sure there are many people in there who have been looking forward to giving you a kiss all year round.”  
  


“ _3!_ ”  
  


“Are those people only inside?” Dick suddenly asked and Jason’s brows furrowed, trying to figure out what he meant.  
  


Was this man really fishing for more compliments?  
  


“You’re gonna have to find someone else to stroke your ego.” Jason rolled his eyes as he nudged Dick who was suddenly standing a little too close. When had he gotten so close?  
  


“ _2!_ ”  
  


“You know, Jay, even when you were a kid, you weren’t really a good liar,” Dick said as his fingers gently brushed into Jason’s hair.   
  


“ _1!_ ”

Then, Dick was kissing him. Something that Jason had imagined many times but never expected. His lips were soft, his touch was gentle and their tongues moved in tandem, Jason could see and hear fireworks. And why wouldn’t he imagine fireworks when he was kissing Dick fucking Grayson.   
  
  
It was only later that Jason realized that the fireworks he saw were very much real and set off to welcome the new year. Which is why, instead of heading off to his safe house, he decided to spend a little more time with Dick to see whether his kiss was really all that or not. Unfortunately, it would take a few more tries before he could come to a conclusion.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy new year to everyone who reads this fic! May 2021 bring you nothing but joy!


End file.
